Direct family relationships
One link in the chain, straight from the farm. My family in Yunnan makes the introduction, I agree the price with the farmer myself, and every lot arrives with a name, a plot and the price I paid
Yunnan, China New York
Small lot specialty Arabica from the hills around the Gaoligong range. My family in Yunnan knows the growers, so I buy at the farm, cup every lot myself, and bring it to roasters and cafés across the US
Steep, shaded slopes on the eastern edge of the Gaoligong range. Cool nights, long ripening, hand picked cherry, and family close by who know which growers take the extra care
The story
I grew up in Hong Kong and I'm based in New York now. I have close family in Yunnan, in the southwest of China, where the Gaoligong mountains rise between the Nu and Mekong rivers. For most people outside China it's still a discovery that coffee grows there at all
Yunnan coffee carries an old reputation from its commodity years. What I bring sits firmly on the specialty side of it. Careful picking, proper drying beds and small fermentation batches give a cup that's rounder and sweeter than most people expect: deep chocolate and brown sugar underneath, a soft citrus lift, and a delicate tea like floral note in the finish. Approachable enough for an everyday espresso, distinctive enough for a single origin pour over
What it usually tastes like
Founder, 在太空飘的咖啡豆 Raised in Hong Kong · based in New York · in Yunnan every harvest
Why Yunnan
High altitude Arabica, harvested November through March, a window when most other origins are quiet. And the supply chain is about as short as it gets
One link in the chain, straight from the farm. My family in Yunnan makes the introduction, I agree the price with the farmer myself, and every lot arrives with a name, a plot and the price I paid
Hand picked, screen sorted, cupped at 84+ before anything ships. Lots are small on purpose, from 25 kg for a sample run up to a few hundred kilos, so quality stays consistent all the way through
Harvest ends in March and the coffee is in the US soon after, in GrainPro. You get the harvest date, altitude, variety, process and moisture on every lot, in writing, before you commit
Season's lots
Lujiangba, Baoshan
Milk chocolate, brown sugar, orange zest, clean and round
The everyday workhorse. Forgiving on espresso, sweet through milk, and the easiest introduction to what Yunnan can do
Gaoligong slopes, Nujiang
Caramel, dried apricot, jasmine, black tea finish
Older trees on a shaded ridge, dried slowly on raised beds. The most delicate lot of the three, best as a filter single origin
Xinzhai, Baoshan
Cocoa nib, red plum, molasses, soft berry sweetness
A small controlled fermentation batch from a single grower's plot. Fruit forward and clean, a good seasonal feature coffee
Who it's for
I work best with people buying by the bag. The kind of roaster who wants to know whose farm it came from, and can pick up the phone and ask me